In a recent article (see below), Nicholas Kristoff of the New York Times observed a raid on a brothel using child prostitutes in Kolkata, India conducted by the International Justice Mission. While I find Mr. Kristoff's participation in the raid an unnecessary and not too insightful example of ethnographic reporting, I do understand that the experience allowed him to personalize and give a name to at least some of the estimated 1.8 million children engaged, or perhaps more accurately stated, 'enslaved,' in the sex trade each year as reported by Unicef.
While many of these young girls and boys are indeed abducted by strangers and sold into prostitution, enticed by greedy foreigners or tricked into leaving home by 'friends of friends' with promises of paid employment in peoples' homes or other kinds of legitimate if not high paying work, some are actually given up willingly by parents, often excruciatingly poor parents, who receive cash in exchange for their offspring. Still other children follow in a family tradition of prostitution. Even when offered free schooling, they may return to their parents trade (as can be seen in the documentary, 'Born Into Brothels,' by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski); whether for reasons of filial piety, overall family loyalty or fear of unknown sanctions, religious, social or otherwise, it is always not clear.
In the book, 'Abandoned Children,' edited by Catherine Panter-Brick and Malcolm T. Smith, is an entry by Heather Montgomery entitled, "Abandonment and child prostitution in a Thai slum community." Montgomery interviewed fifty child prostitutes, boys and girls, over a 15 month period. These families lived in a rural community and had no land, no jobs and no access to social welfare. Though these children, some as young as six, did not like sex work they felt good using the money they earned to help their families. For example, a 12 year-old prostitute was elated at being able to rebuild her parent's house, saying she would 'make merit' for taking care of them. Montgomery wrote, "as a Buddhist she believed that the merit she gained from looking after her parents would accrue to her in her next incarnation and negate the effects of prostitution" (pg.191).
In this Thai slum, parents and children had reciprocal obligations. Moreover, while some parents felt that one-hour of sex with a foreigner would not harm their children, one six-year old explained, "I don't want to go with foreigners, but my grandmother asks me to so I feel I must" (pg. 192). Here, poor and exploited families used prostitution to keep their families in tact, to fulfill filial obligations and because no other economic alternatives existed, normalizing what in actuality was emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Montgomery stated that they were victims of industrialization and modernization and concluded that "It is much easier to blame inadequate parents or depraved Westerners than it is to provide long-term help in the form of poverty alleviation programmes or to examine critically the consequences of successive governments' development policies" (pg.195).
Parents 'pimping' their children is not unique to the poor of non Western nations. Even in the US, there are reports of a growing number of parents who, through the Internet, offer their children up for sex with strangers in exchange for money. Below is an article from ABC News about an American woman allegedly offering to sell her daughter's virginity for $10,000. I am not sure explanations for an incident that occurred in Salt Lake City, Utah, can be found in Buddhist beliefs in merit and reincarnation or Asian values of filial piety. Moreover, I have not as yet researched any academic journal articles proposing theories for this phenomenon. However, I wonder if 24/7 exposure to reality television, an emphasis on cultural values based on consumption, acquisition and instant gratification, or a hyper-sexualized/hyper-violent media and advertising climate in America has any effect? I welcome your thoughts and comments.
Agencies working to end child prostitution in the US and internationally:
End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism (ECPAT),
Kids With Cameras,
Children of the Night,
And for related information on human trafficking in the US and abroad, click here.
